by Claire Adams
“So, I heard that Stephano Copal lives on Star Island?” I said casually.
“Yeah, he’s got that big white house facing south. He’s a bigwig in Miami, but it’s mostly drug money. I’d stay away from him, if I were you.”
“Oh, yeah. I have no intention of going near the guy. I bet he’s got security all over that place.”
“Actually, don’t tell anyone I told you this, but I heard he doesn’t have any security outside. But he’s shot intruders when they’ve come in his house. I think he likes the sport of letting them all the way in the door and then shooting them in self-defense.”
“Yikes. I’m definitely not going over there,” I said as I broke out in fake laughter.
That sounded like something a guy like Stephano would do. No need to actually put security equipment around the home because if someone was dumb enough to try and break into his home, then he could claim self-defense when he shot them. Likely, the only people trying to get into his home were lowlifes who didn’t know who he was or people who knew exactly who he was. Either way, Stephano had a legal reason to kill them if they broke into his property.
It actually worried me more that he might not have security than if he had top notch security systems. A rouge criminal was much more dangerous than one who wanted to protect himself with the latest equipment.
“I better get going. It was nice meeting you,” I said as I stood up and stumbled a little.
“Whoa there, are you all right?”
“Sure am, my hotel’s right there, no worries.”
“Okay, take care of yourself, man.”
I had strumbled out of the bar and around the corner before I started to walk normally again. I had learned over the years that it was incredibly important to cover all your tracks. Making sure George saw me as a drunken ex-Seal was just one way that I could ensure my cover story if things ever went poorly for me during my search for Ana.
I made my way back to the bridge to Star Island. We had been near it when the Duck Tour went into the water, but I thought I would take a stroll over to Star Island to see what all the hype was about.
My stumbling started again as I got close to the security officer who stood outside of a small cabin in the middle of the road. There weren’t any barricades at the entrance to the island, no gate, either. Just the officer and a sign that read “Road Closed: Local Traffic Only,” so I continued to walk up the street.
Before I had even made it to the security officer’s building, he was out of his door and walking toward me. The guy tried to look menacing, but he didn’t look like anything but a rental cop. His uniform was loose fitting and he didn’t have his hair cut short. If the guy wanted to look like someone more powerful, he should have paid attention to his looks more. Security guards were always trying to look like they had power when they really didn’t have any at all.
“Do you live here?”
“No, Officer.”
“This is a private community.”
“Yes, Officer, I’m just going for a walk. Am I allowed to walk around this neighborhood?”
“You are allowed to walk through, but no going into people’s private yards and you must stay on the sidewalk.”
“Yes, sir.”
As I walked past the security building, I saw a panel of four televisions and several cameras that flipped through on the screens. It was entirely clear that the island was covered with cameras and I would probably not be able to get into anyone’s house without being seen on the camera.
“Sir, can I see your driver’s license, please?” the officer said after he had talked with his co-worker.
I felt my nerves as they became alert. I had handled much worse situations that a security guard wanting to see my identification. But I needed to say just the right things so he wasn’t suspicious of me. It was odd to me that he had waited until I passed him to ask for my ID. I had to think that there was something about me that he didn’t like – something about me that set off the alarm in his head and made him ask me for my idea.
“I’m sorry, Officer, I don’t have my wallet. That’s why I’m walking. I need to wait for my ride to come get me in a couple hours.”
“Your name?”
“Jackson Fluoric.”
“Okay, Mr. Fluoric. We can see wherever you walk. Please stay on the sidewalks or you will be arrested for trespassing.”
“Thank you, sir,” I said as I continued to walk.
I made my way around the circular street until I came across Stephano’s home. He did have a large wall and gate, but it looked easily scalable. I suspected that was also one of his ploys to lure his enemies into his home so he could shoot them.
My gut told me I was going to need a different way into Stephano’s house. One that wouldn’t end up getting me murdered. Currently, Stephano didn’t know me at all. He thought I was just a guy who Roxanne was shacking up with. If we could figure out a way for her to get into the house, then maybe I would have the time to find Ana and get her out of there.
One thing was for sure, I wasn’t getting Ana out of that house all by myself. It also wasn’t going to happen that day, either. I needed more time to plan. I needed to observe his house and figure out how many guards he had there at any one time. There was so much more I needed to find out before I was going to feel comfortable moving forward.
Roxanne was going to be pretty damn angry at me when I got back to the hotel room. After sneaking out, I thought I would be able to get a lot done on my own, and I certainly had done some good recon work, but I still wasn’t going to go back to the hotel with Ana safely in my custody.
Then, it dawned on me. If Stephano was going to sell Ana, maybe I could just buy her, instead of whatever person overseas had made plans to buy her. If money was the only objective, I was sure that Chase and Jordan would be happy to pay Stephano what he wanted to keep Ana safe.
As I made my way back to the hotel, I thought my plan to purchase Ana back from Stephano was actually pretty damn good. It would save us all from being put into danger’s way and money was easy enough to replace. I smiled at my own brilliant thought and I wished I had thought about it earlier.
I slid my key into my room door and looked ahead at the lights that were coming from Roxanne’s room. Something was off. As a Navy Seal and even in my profession as an investigator, I had learned to trust my gut, and right away I could tell something was wrong in our hotel rooms.
“Hey, Roxanne, I’m back,” I hollered.
I didn’t hear a response, so I made my way toward her room where I saw her sitting on the bed and looking seductive as usual. The problem was she was just sitting on her bed and not moving at all. That wasn’t how you sat when you were waiting for someone and that certainly wasn’t how Roxanne would sit. My gut was right – something was wrong.
“Hi, Jackson,” she said.
Then, I saw it. Her eyes darted to the left of the doorway and I knew someone was there. I didn’t know who he was or what he wanted, but I knew his intention was to attack me the second I walked closer to Roxanne.
“Hey, should I order some hamburgers like we had the other night?” I asked as I held up one finger and pointed to the side of the doorway she had motioned to.
“Maybe order two this time, I don’t want to split one.”
Oh, so there were two people waiting to attack me. That was good to know.
“Sure thing. Do you want all the fixings or just plain burgers?”
“Plain, I don’t like to get my hands dirty with extras.”
Okay, so they didn’t have guns, I thought. Or at least, they didn’t have guns out that she could see. But our little conversation was even starting to confuse me. It worked much better when you and your partner had time to work out code names for things.
I took a step forward and prepared for the men to attack me. My hands were up and as one man stepped forward and swung at me, I grabbed his hand and pulled it around behind him. Quickly, I turned him around and used him as a shield
as the other man came toward me and threw a punch.
The thing that bothered me most about the little fist fight in my room was that it was a fist fight. If these goons were Stephano’s, then why the hell wouldn’t they come with guns? It seemed very amateurish, and I didn’t have time for that sort of thing.
It only took me about four minutes to knock both the men unconscious, grab our things, and get Roxanne and me out of the hotel room. Leaving a scene was something I could do very quickly; it was a necessary skill as both an investigator and a Navy Seal member.
Roxanne, on the other hand, didn’t feel very prepared to leave the hotel room as quickly as I did. She pulled on my hand and tried to go back into the room at least three times as we moved our way down the hallway toward the stairwell.
“How did they know we were here?” I asked as we made our way down the stairs.
“I’m not sure. Maybe they had me followed after I picked up my check today.”
“What? Tell me you didn’t do that. Tell me you weren’t that stupid.”
“Don’t call me stupid, Jackson. I was here all alone; I had no idea where you were. I didn’t have my cell phone. I didn’t have Chase’s contact information. I figured you had just abandoned me and split.”
I felt bad instantly. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that Roxanne would assume I had abandoned her. I simply figured she would think I went out to find Ana alone. I really didn’t think at all about her and the life she had lived. But when I stopped to consider her lifestyle, I realized she probably really hated me when she thought I had just left her.
“Wait? You get a paycheck?” I asked with a look of confusion on my face.
“Yes, I’ve been with Stephano for a few years. He pays me for my dances and the tips are extra.”
“Wow, okay, I learned something new today. I’m sorry you thought I had left you. I was just going to look for Ana. I left you a note. Did you see the note?”
“Yes, but you had been gone all day and I thought you would have been back. My mind played tricks on me and I just wanted to protect myself.”
“What did they say? Why did they come?”
“They just wanted me to give Stephano the cash he thought I owed him from screwing you on the side. I told them you were my boyfriend and that you weren’t paying, but that was when you arrived.”
“Okay, so they don’t know we are looking for Ana?”
“I don’t think so. They seemed only interested in money.”
We made our way to my rental vehicle and down the road to find a new hotel for the night. In Miami, there was every kind of hotel and motel possible. There were very large hotels like the one we had stayed at. There were smaller cheap hotel chains, and there were no-name motels that were super cheap.
I decided our best bet was to stay at a place that was as far opposite from our last hotel as possible. So, as we drove down the street and I saw a tiny motel that looked like it was from a horror movie, I decided that was where we should stay.
“I’m glad you weren’t hurt,” I said as I looked over at her.
Roxanne was clearly a much stronger woman than I had given her credit for. She wasn’t shaking or upset at all after the fight that had just happened. She sat calmly in the passenger seat as I looked at the motel from the street. It certainly didn’t look like a place I wanted to stay in, but I hoped that they at least had some clean sheets – that was all I really needed.
“Next time, don’t leave me like that,” Roxanne said as she punched my arm.
“Ouch.” I laughed.
We pulled into a sleazy hotel and paid cash for our room. I filled out the check-in form with a fake name and made sure to get a room with a clear view of the parking lot. Staying at a motel like that wasn’t ideal, but it was going to have to work for us. We needed a safe place and we certainly couldn’t go back to the fancy hotel.
I braced myself for Roxanne to throw a fit as we made our way up the stairs toward our room. I had never met a woman who could handle a rundown motel. They could handle almost anything else in the world, just don’t get them a dirty hotel room. That was always the last straw. Our room wasn’t glamorous, but it would be safe for the night.
Chapter Ten
ROXANNE
I couldn’t even stand to look at Jackson after what he had put me through. I thought he had left. It felt like such a huge betrayal, and I hated that it had hurt so badly. Jackson and I had only known each other for a few days, but when he hadn’t returned, I was so hurt and angry. Much more hurt than I should have been for someone I hardly knew.
I didn’t open up to people and I certainly didn’t let people hurt me, so it frustrated me how much I had given in to Jackson. There was such a connection between the two of us; it was like an electric pull that kept bringing me back to him. As angry as I was at him, I felt myself being pulled right back toward him at the same time.
My life wasn’t the kind where you got attached. I purposely avoided being close to people so I wouldn’t have to deal with heartbreak. Despite my intention of staying away from Jackson, I had become close to him – much more so than I wanted to. But there was just something between us that I couldn’t stop. There was a powerful connection like none I had ever had. As much as I pulled away from him, that connection pulled me right back into his arms.
There were feelings developing for Jackson – feelings that I hadn’t had in a long time. It scared the crap out of me and I wasn’t about to let any man scare me like that. I made a mental note to try and keep my emotions detached around him. I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did, and I certainly shouldn’t be falling for him.
“It’s not the Ritz, but it should do for the night,” he said as he opened the door to our room.
“Are you sure they only had one room?”
“Yes, this was it. Apparently, there is some sort of convention across the street and that hotel overbooked their rooms and contracted with this hotel.”
The outside of the motel was dismal. It was dark and had peeling paint. The whole place looked like it was out of the ’70s. As we walked into the room, I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the room, though, and the interior wasn’t nearly as bad as I had expected. It was much larger than I had thought it would be. But then I started to notice some other very unusual things about it.
There was a giant two-person soaking tub in the corner and mirrors on the ceiling. There was one large king-sized bed and heart-shaped pillows on the bed. They were trying to make it romantic and I commended the effort, but the room was certainly far from comfortable.
“Is this the honeymoon suite?” I asked as I started to laugh.
“It was the only room left.”
“Oh, my gosh. This is crazy.”
“Hey, it’s a safe place to sleep and recoup. We need to get our plan together for tomorrow.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you say we? Am I part of this again?” I asked as I went to look at the bathroom.
To my horror, there wasn’t a shower at all, just a toilet and a small sink. I took in a deep breath as I came back out and leaned against the wall to see how Jackson would try to explain his way out of this one.
I knew guys like him. He would defend his choice to go out alone. He would tell me that I was just a woman and didn’t understand the dangers. I almost didn’t want to even hear him try to explain it, but I decided to humor him and listen anyways.
“I’m sorry. You were right. I need you for this.”
His words peaked my interest.
“Um, excuse me. Where is Jackson?”
“You heard me. I know when I’m wrong. I was wrong to leave you at the hotel and I’m sorry I made you feel like I had left you. I’m sure that was horrible.”
“Wow,” was all I could come up with.
I really had never met a man who was man enough to say he was sorry right away like that. He hadn’t argued with me. He hadn’t tried to make up excuses. I didn’t know what to think of him. Words were not even
coming to me as I stood there and looked at him.
I wasn’t sure I knew how to have a conversation with a man who wasn’t trying to argue with me or get me to sleep with him. It was an unusual circumstance and I stood against the wall and tried to take the whole moment in. Being a grown up and having a real conversation was going to be much harder than I thought.
I took a deep breath as I tried to control my innate need to be a smart ass. Instead, I wanted to respond appropriately. My whole life, I had waited for a man to come along who wasn’t a total douche bag. I had expected him to be a little different than Jackson, but in that moment, I realized something that I had never realized before.
A perfect guy doesn’t exist, just like a perfect woman doesn’t exist. But finding someone who is willing to apologize for their mistakes and truly show remorse when they were wrong, well, that was like finding a unicorn. All my thoughts about avoiding Jackson started to slip away when I saw him in this new light.
“Is that a good wow or a bad wow?” Jackson asked as he winced at my glare.
Slowly, I walked over toward him and grabbed the hem of his shirt. I tugged on it and pulled it up over his head. He didn’t fight me. I could tell he wanted to know what the heck was going on. But he let me take his shirt off.
“I think…” I started to say seductively as I leaned in and kissed his neck. “That you are…” I continued with more kisses. “The first man who has….ever said he was wrong.”
Jackson gave a deep, controlled laugh, but it shot right through my body and enticed my very core. He was a man’s man and I liked that about him. There was no other way to say it. He had his faults, we all do. But Jackson was a good guy and I wanted to be with him.
Screw all the political correctness, I was over it. I wanted him and he wanted me. We just needed to be together so we could move on. There was no need to drag out the inevitable. We could just have some fun and then move forward with the job.